Under the Skin
by JackiLeigh
Summary: Part 14-Neal takes on a personality change, and he needs the Winchesters' help to make things right again. NealHurt, possible WinchesterHurt. Absolutely AU and OOC, maybe for everybody, but especially for Neal.
1. Chapter 1

UNDER THE SKIN

Part #14

Crossover: Supernatural and White Collar

**AN:****This is a new kind of fic for me.****I can't say much else without giving it away.****I hope I do the subject matter justice.**

**_Neal's alternative personality's words and actions will be in italics._**

Neal was thrilled to be able to go to this exhibit. He had been wanting to see it since it had come to New York weeks ago. And this was the last day, actually the last night. And as part of the festivities the archeologist who discovered the artifacts was going to be on hand to talk about them. These particular items had been taken from one of the King Ramses' tombs. There had been so many Ramses that Neal was unsure of the number.

Peter and El had agreed to escort the conman. They had dined at Neal's favorite restaurant and then had crossed the street to the museum. Neal touched many of the artifacts. As did many of the other attendees, that was an unusual thing for the museum. But the items were formed of rock and stone and could not be harmed by human touch.

As the night wore on Neal began to feel strange. He just chalked it up to having eaten some bad Italian food. He got undressed and went to bed. The morning brought little or no relief. He knew now though that it was not the food. He stomach never bothered him the entire night. But the feeling, the funk he was in, remained. Neal punched the button on his alarm clock. He got up and headed to the bathroom. He showered. He shaved after exiting the tub. _He found himself staring at the blood from the nicks he had caused. __He just stared in the mirror, as if fascinated by the blood. __He took his finger and put it to one of the nicks. __He then put his finger to his mouth. __He missed having a 'host' as he called it. __It had been a few centuries. __His eyes flashed black as he grinned, evilly, into the mirror._

TBC-I hope you enjoyed the little teaser.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks, as always, for reading, alerting, and reviewing.**

Neal looked at himself. He was hallucinating. He had to be. His eyes did not go black. His eyes were blue. He was born with blue eyes. Women commented, constantly, it seemed, on his blue eyes. He considered them his best feature. And he had not just tasted his own blood earlier. That was just…weird.

Neal had seemed like another person just a while ago. He felt detached. Like, just for a few seconds, he had not been in control. He had stepped away and someone else had stepped in. Neal could feel the motions. He just had no idea who or what was making them, controlling him.

And he had watched the blood, with fascination, as it oozed out of the small cut and ran down his chin. Neal was not one to put his finger to his mouth when he got a small cut, as some people do. He was not averse to seeing blood. He didn't faint; he just didn't like the metallic taste.

Neal shook his head. Something was going on with him. But he didn't know what, and he didn't have time to dwell on it. He had to meet Peter downstairs in a few moments. He took one last look in the mirror, straightened his tie and then hurried down the stairs.

SPN/WC SPN/WC SPN/WC SPN/WC SPN/WC

Peter noticed the change in his C.I. that morning. Neal was very quiet on the way to work. Peter knew that he had enjoyed the exhibit. So it wasn't that. But Ellen had died not long before. And Sara had just left for London. With that, Neal had lost two important people in his life. Maybe he was just…recovering, in the way Neal does. Peter didn't press him. He let Neal stare out the window, just as he was doing. Peter just kept an eye on him as he navigated the city streets.

Neal looked at Peter, for just a moment, and what he saw scared him to death. He could have sworn that, just for a second, Peter's eyes were as black as his had been that morning in the mirror. It didn't take long for the green to return, just has his had done that morning. But the effect of the change was jarring. He clasped his hands together and put them in his lap so that Peter could not see how badly they were shaking.

By noon Peter was fed up. Neal was off. He didn't seem to be able to concentrate and Peter was tired of babysitting a moody, off-kilter C.I. He sent Neal home.

June had never been afraid of her tenant before. But her encounter just a second ago had left her shaken. June could have sworn as she passed Neal on the stairs that his eyes were obsidian, completely black, no white to be seen. It had only lasted a second. And the way he had looked at her as he had passed her. She had felt…evil. She had felt she would be harmed if she didn't get away from Neal immediately. So she passed him without a word. She waited until she got to the landing before she turned and looked back at him, ascending the stairs to his apartment. She tried to shake the feeling. But it would not go away, and she did something she had never done since she had moved into the mansion. She locked her bedroom door when she went to bed that night.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Thanks, again, so much for your support.**

Peter had meetings all the next day. He called Neal and told him so, basically giving Neal the day off. Neal was thrilled. He needed time to figure out, exactly what was going on.

_Neal showered and dressed. __He smiled as he knocked on the door. He knew Peter was not home, would not be home for hours. __And he decided he needed to have a little…talk with Mrs. Burke._

"Good morning, Neal." El said, letting Neal into her home. She had not expected to see him during the day. She had opted to stay home and work . But she had fully expected Neal to be at work with Peter.

_"__Yeah…meetings…." __Neal said as he walked around the place._

It seemed to El that Neal was walking around her home like he had never been there before. It made her very uneasy. She eyed her phone. She tried to casually make her way over to it. She would quickly pocket it and then lock herself in a room, if she had to, and call Peter. Neal was just…something was very wrong. He was scaring her.

_Neal's hand covered hers as she reached for the phone. __His eyes flashed black as he grinned at her.__ "__Peter doesn't need to know I'm here, El." __Neal said, removing his hand from on top of hers._

El let go of the phone. Shocked that Neal knew what she was going to do. "I was going to…." She started to protest.

_Neal shook his head.__ "__Peter is in meetings all morning, Hon." __He walked over to her fridge and opened the door. __ "__He won't get to enjoy any of this wonderful chicken salad you made for him." __He pulled the correct container out of the fridge and sat it on the counter.__ "__But I really would love some.__I think pretty boy, Neal, is a little hungry. His stomach is growling."_

El looked at Neal. Well, whoever it was looked like Neal. But he certainly was not acting like Neal. He never called her 'Hon.' El was going over what to do in her mind. But nothing fit. She was not a captive, Neal had not threatened her. As a matter of fact, he was making himself a sandwich. And he had just poured himself a glass of milk. She had one more plan of action. She picked up her purse and threw her phone in. She then slung it over her shoulder.

_Neal shook his head. __He grabbed her arm, gently but firmly applying pressure to keep her still. __ "__You're not needed at the office today, Elizabeth. __Christine and Megan are handing the Johnson Wedding, and your only other…event is the Gregory reception. __And you have Natalia and Sara busy making your appetizers._

El could only stare at him. How did he know all that? She hadn't even told Peter those details. If he was trying to scare her, he was doing a damn good job of it.

_Neal smiled. __ "__I want you to know you can't lie to me, Elizabeth Burke. __I know things, as you can tell. __And trust me, you don't want to know what I do to…people who double-cross me." __He let go of her arm, feeling he had made his threat clear and understood.__ "__I just need you to do one little thing for me. __Just one thing, and it'll take only a few moments to do. __That's it, you do it and…."_

"What do you want?" El asked, terrified of the answer.

_"…__Sam and Dean Winchester's heads on a platter." __Neal snapped angrily, his eyes going black again. __Then he calmed down after a moment. __ "__I want you to call the Winchesters. __I want you to bring them here."_

El opened her mouth to speak.

_"__Just tell them pretty boy Neal Caffrey is in a bit of trouble." __He replied._

"How…?" El was still trying to wrap her mind around the whole thing.

_Neal smiled at her again. __ "__He's been possessed by a demon, my dear."_

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**FYI: _The Italics is Demon!Neal's words and actions._**

Neal came to himself. He had no idea why he was so far from home, or how he had gotten there.

But the demonic entity currently residing inside Neal's body was very happy. He got what he wanted. The Winchesters were on their way. Elizabeth Burke had called, just like he had wanted her to.

"Dean." El said as soon as Dean answered.

"Ne…." Dean had started to say Neal. But this was a female voice, and a female voice he didn't recognize at that.

"It's Elizabeth Burke, Dean. I'm using Neal's phone." El explained.

Dean cast worried glance at Sam while he listened.

"What's…what's going on El?" Where's Neal?" Dean asked. He was afraid he already knew the answer.

"He's here…sort of." El said.

_Neal smiled and encouraged her to continue. __She was doing fine._

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

_"__What it means, Dean Winchester…" __Neal said taking the phone. __ "…is that __pretty boy here has a passenger these days."_

"You bastard!" Dean yelled into the phone. He understood immediately what was happening. "You leave him right now!" He had not expected that answer. He had thought that maybe Neal had gotten injured on the job, not this, never this.

_"__I want you to come here and make me." __Neal chuckled into the phone._

"You…!" It was all Dean could get out before the phone went dead.

Dean threw the phone across the room.

Sam looked at him with a mixture of shock and expectation as he watched his brother hurriedly throw items into a bag.

"Dean…?" Sam started. He also grabbed his bag and began to pack.

"We need to get to New York…Neal!" Dean said as he rushed around the room.

"What…?" Sam started. He didn't like seeing Dean like this. It had to be very, very bad.

"I just spoke with the demon playing piggyback with Neal." Dean stated.

Sam's mouth opened and closed a couple of times. He was too shocked for words.

"Let's roll." Dean said as he and Sam got into the car.

_Neal had never had any dealings with the Winchesters directly. __He had just heard of them through various entanglements with his demonic brethren. __And, like most arm-chair quarterbacks, he thought he had the perfect play to get rid of the flesh-covered, mouth-breathing nuisances once and for all. __Sam and Dean were loyal to their friends and family. __That was very well known, even in…lower circles. __Of course, Neal also knew that the Winchesters were on the FBI's most wanted list. __So why not involve the wife of an FBI agent? __Why not have an agency looking for them? __These meat suits should really be good for something, right? __And if they were to say….take care of the Winchesters before he actually got around to it. __Well, that would be okay too._

El was shaking. She stared at the door for what felt like an hour after Neal had left. She could not believe what had just happened. Whoever had been in her home had been Neal, but had not been Neal, all at the same time. She had seen his eyes go black. She had seen his face sort of change. And she had heard the change in his voice when he spoke. And it had been particularly pronounced when he had talked to Dean. She looked at her phone as if she was amazed by it. A demon had used her phone.

El was not a particularly religious person. She knew of angels and demons. She knew that they existed. But she lived in the modern day, in a modern society. Things like possessions and the like just didn't happen today. The majority, she felt, of what used to be called possession could be explained away, these days, as some sort of mental illness. But she had her beliefs tested, in a big way. She didn't believe, for a moment, that Neal Caffrey suffered from any form of mental illness. But the Neal she had known, the person she had just seen who liked like Neal, was not him. She tried, with trembling fingers, to call her husband. But after hitting the wrong number, even on speed dial, she gave up. What would she say? How could she explain this to Peter? How could she expect him to believe her? Maybe she was the one going crazy. Maybe she had just imagined the whole thing. She checked both doors. Then realized what was missing. Satch had whimpered and even growled when Neal had come in. It was unusual behavior for Satch towards Neal. But El had just basically ignored it. Now she called him. She hunted for him and she finally found him. He was hiding under the bed in their spare upstairs bedroom. El then sank down into a corner in the living room. She pulled Satch into her lap and waited for Peter to come home.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Reminder:****_The italicized words are Demon!Neal, and we will soon know his name._****Thanks for the reviews and alerts.****Thanks for the PM'ing me with your questions about the story.****I love that you like the story enough to ask.****Thanks again.****JL**

Sam and Dean arrived in New York a few hours later, in the early evening of the same day. They hurried to the Burke residence, first, to check on El then to see if she knew where Neal was.

Sam knocked on the front door. When he got no response, he and Dean went to the back door. Dean quickly picked the back door, not wanting to be seen from the street picking a lock. Dean and Sam announced themselves as they opened the door. The only response was Satch's bark. He had left El's side and come immediately to the door. This caused El to stir. She had fallen asleep waiting for Peter to come home. She had no idea how long she had been sitting there.

Dean immediately put out his hand and helped her up. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

El shook her head, but she did rub her arm a little.

Dean noticed her action and moved her hand. There was the mark of a hand on her upper arm. It was red, like it had been burned into her skin.

"El?" Sam and Dean looked at her concerned, seeing the mark.

"Neal…he grabbed me there. It didn't hurt at the time. He didn't squeeze my arm or anything." She said, looking. She had not really noticed the redness either.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sam asked. He was concerned. El still seemed a little out of it.

El shook her head. "That was not Neal." She stated. "I don't know how to explain it. But it…Neal has never hurt me. He would never hurt me. But this…thing…. It would have killed me without a second thought." She shook her head. "The black eyes…the whole..." El struggled for the words. "It really scared me."

Both Sam and Dean nodded. Sam got her some water out of the kitchen. He sat the glass on the table as she sat down.

Dean sighed. They were going to have to split up for now. Sam was going to stay with El until Peter came home. They just didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone. Then they would meet up again. Dean just didn't want to have to go this one alone. It was so much harder when it involved friends.

"Any idea where Neal went?" Dean asked.

El shook her head. "He shocked me showing up here. I expected him to be at work with Peter. Though Peter did say yesterday that he was acting strangely." She paused. "We thought it was the Italian he had eaten the night before. We took Neal to an exhibit out of his radius." El explained. "They were letting people touch the artifacts."

"That's not…." Sam started.

El nodded. "It's very unusual. But they said the exhibit couldn't be harmed by touch."

"What was it that Neal touched, exactly?" Dean asked.

Sam listened as he looked around the house, trying to see if he could find any clues. He was actively listening and looking at the same time. He hoped El had a laptop that he could use. He felt like he would need to do some research to find out what they were dealing with.

El told Sam and Dean all about the exhibit. She mentioned the time period. The pieces presented. "I think he started feeling…bad there. But…what he told you…" El paused again, looking from Sam to Dean. "…is it true? I mean, I'm Catholic, I know demons exist. But is he really…?"

Dean nodded. "It sounds like it."

"I smell sulfur." Sam stated.

El looked at Sam. "What does that mean?"

"It's one of the common signs of the presence of a demon." Sam replied.

El shook her head, unbelieving. She understood, from her religious background, that demons possessed people. She had seen the movies, but the prospect of one being so close. Those things happened in the movies, in foreign countries, not to her, not in her house, not to her friends.

Sam and Dean set about making a demon trap.

El looked at them, wondering how she was going to explain it all to Peter.

They all turned towards the front door when they heard a noise. Peter was using his key in the door. And they all breathed a sigh of relief. They had just finished their demon trap and had covered it with the Burke's living room rug, just in case Neal came back.

Peter paused for just a second when he realized who was in his house. "Why are you here?"

"It's Neal, Hon. He's…." El started, struggling with the words.

"Something's going on." Peter agreed. "But it's not something for you guys. Neal's just…he's off. He needs sleep, not…whatever it is that you do."

Dean glanced at Sam, and then spoke. "He needs exactly what it is that we do. And now that you're here, we can go find him." He said to Peter.

"Now that I'm here…What does that mean?" Peter asked.

El cleared her throat. "Neal was by here earlier. He…it was something about his eyes. They changed color, and he just…he was different. He…."

"What do you mean, changed color? People's eyes don't just change color." Peter replied. He didn't even know what to think about the possible threat to El. Neal would never hurt her, he knew. But Neal was different these days. Peter couldn't deny that.

"No, people's don't, but demons do. They go completely black, just like El's describing." Sam explained. "Neal's possessed."

"As in…?" Peter started.

"As in Neal's got a demon riding piggyback." Dean replied. "And now that you're here, we can go and find him."

Peter didn't say anything for a moment. He was still absorbing it all. He shook his head. "Neal's just…he's not getting enough sleep. That's why he's…."

Dean was starting to get irritated. "We don't have time for this Peter. The thing that is in Neal hates people. Demons possess people as a way to get around. They use and abuse their human hosts. The human host may not survive the possession. It just depends on how long he has been possessed, how good of a hold the demon has on him."

Dean didn't give El or Peter a chance to respond. "We have to go." Dean said as he opened the back door to leave.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**AN:****_The italicized words are Demon!Neal, and we will soon know its name._****Thanks for the reviews and alerts.****The violence here is somewhat graphic, just a little head's up there.**

_"__Well, Sam and Dean Winchester."__Neal said.__He was standing by the back door when Dean opened it._

Dean started to reach for him knife, but then moved his hand away.

_Neal stretched.__ "__It's good to be up top.__It's been a few centuries.__And found a great meat suit to boot."__He moved passed Dean and into the house._

"Neal?" El asked.

_"__Neal's not home, Hon,"__Neal said, mockingly.__ "…__just me, sorry to disappoint."__He looked at her, his eyes completely black._

Peter stepped back when he saw the black eyes. It was probably one of the freakiest things he had ever seen. It had him completely speechless.

_"__You must be the husband, Peter."__Neal replied.__ "__And just so you know, you shoot me, you won't kill me.__You will piss me off, though.__And I'll take it out on your boy here."__He said, eyeing Peter's weapon.__ "__I'm sure the Winchesters have given you an idea, at least, of what I can do."_

Peter moved his hand to his weapon, wondering what he should believe.

Dean saw his indecision. "Don't do it, Peter! You shoot him, and he'll kill Neal."

"Dean's right. You won't kill him, Peter." Sam chimed in.

Peter moved his hand away.

_Neal started to walk into the living room.__ "__You disappoint me.__Hunters always set traps."__He paused.__ "__You had the reputation of being good at this.__Very…."__Neal stepped onto the rug and into the circle hidden under it._

San and Dean smiled.

_"__What did you do?"__Neal hissed, unbelieving._

"Have a seat." Dean said, pushing a chair into the circle as Sam pulled back the rug causing Neal to stumble as he tried to keep upright inside the circle.

_"__You will pay for this, Dean Winchester."__Neal stated._

Dean and Sam were ready. Sam opened the holy water. He threw some in Neal's face. _The demon screamed._ It provided enough of a distraction for Dean and Sam to handcuff Neal to the chair.

_Neal struggled against the chair, staring at Sam and Dean with hateful black eyes._

_"__I'll get you too, Sam."__Neal hissed.__ "__Neal can get out of handcuffs, Boys.__Don't you know that?"_

"No these." Sam said. "They're special.

_Neal saw what they were talking about, the devil's trap, etched into the metal of each cuff._

El and Peter just stood and watched. They were stunned to see Neal like this.

_Neal smiled.__ "__Didn't you forget something?"_

Sam and Dean looked around the room. Suddenly El had her hands to her throat. She was fighting something she could not see, who was choking her.

Sam threw holy water in Neal's face, causing him to let go. Sam then picked up his book and began to read as Dean found the salt and made a circle around Peter and El.

"Do not leave this circle. No matter what you see, no matter what happens. We will bring Neal back. And what we are doing is not hurting him. But if you break this circle the demon can and will attack you again." Dean replied, speaking rapidly so that he could help Sam with the exorcism.

El nodded almost absently. She was unable to speak and she clung to Peter, afraid to move.

_Neal was writhing under the reading of the chant.__He moaned and groaned.__He jerked his head, fighting the words, fighting the process._

"What is your name?" Dean asked. He seemed to be yelling as the air got thick and much heavier.

_Neal was making guttural sounds now, an occasional word coming out.__ "…__mine…not…leaving."__It screeched._

"What is your name?" Dean demanded. "Tell me your name."

Neal shook his head vigorously as he struggled to get out of the chair. "HE'S MINE!"

Dean knelt down at eye level. "LET HIM GO AND TELL ME YOUR NAME!"

They all gasped as blood suddenly appeared under Neal's white shirt. And this time it was a human scream that erupted from Neal's mouth.

Dean ripped Neal's shirt open in time to see slashes appear on his chest. Deep enough to draw blood and running from Neal's left shoulder to his right lower torso, to a length of approximately 8 inches. Another two appeared almost simultaneously, causing another very human-sounding scream.

Sam paused for just a second and looked at Dean. He was not at all sure if Neal was going to survive this. Dean motioned for him to continue. They really had no choice, at this point.

Suddenly the black eyes were gone, replaced by Neal's beautiful blues. Neal's voice was back too. Dean had to lean in close, Neal's mouth was moving but Dean couldn't understand the words.

"…said…like a…brother…." Neal said haltingly and with difficulty.

Dean nodded. He stole a look at Sam before he replied. "You are like a brother to me, to both of us." A tear ran down his cheek. He knew what Neal was going to ask, and he knew he would not do it.

Neal screamed again as more slashes appeared.

"You bastard!" Dean yelled. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

It took Neal a few moments to find his voice. "…please…."

Dean smiled, but it was not a happy smile. A couple more tears rolled down his cheek. He put his hand to the nape of Neal's neck and cupped it. "I don't have much family left, Neal. And I plan on hanging on to what I do have." Dean paused. "I am going get you through this. We are going to get you through this."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**AN:****Thanks for the continued reviews and alerts.**

Sam continued to recite the ritual. And suddenly it was all over. Neal's body went limp as a black cloud exited his body and went through the living room ceiling.

"It's over." Sam replied, sighing in relief.

Dean knelt down beside Neal, feeling for a pulse. He didn't find one.

"Peter, call 9-1-1! Now!" Dean said and he used his picks to remove the handcuff from Neal's wrist.

Sam looked at Dean. Dean shook his head, and Sam joined him, working quickly to remove the other handcuff.

Sam and Dean carefully eased Neal to the floor before they began CPR.

Neal took in a sharp, painful breath just as Peter was getting off the phone. Neal didn't open his eyes. He didn't move. He was too weak and in too much pain.

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Neal opened his eyes a day later. His chest hurt. He still felt a little weak. And he had a vague idea of a very vivid dream about the Winchesters and a demon. He couldn't reconcile what happened. Neal had slash marks on his chest that were deep and painful. And nobody seemed very willing to tell him how they got there

As the pain medicine wore off Neal came to a few realizations. He remembered what happened to him. He put his hand to his chest. The stitches were an added reminder, especially when he began to entertain the idea it was all some strange, scary dream.

Neal knew what he had to do. He picked up his phone and made a call.

Neal trudged slowly up the two flights of stairs. His stitches were out, but his chest was still sore and his ribs still hurt from being cracked, from Sam's chest compressions. He put his hand to his chest as he made it up the last few stairs. He walked to the door and pushed it open; not at all surprised that he had company waiting for him.

Sam and Dean came in off the balcony as Dean entered his apartment, followed by El and Peter. They were carrying Neal's belongings, medication and medical supplies. Sam and Dean had been only about a hundred miles away. They were back in the city fairly quickly.

"Hey Kid, how are you doing?" Dean said, giving Neal a big careful hug.

"Sore." Neal admitted as Dean let go.

"Hey." Sam said stepping up and took his turn. "…I'm sorry."

Neal stepped back. "You saved my life. Don't apologize."

Sam and Dean then greeted Peter and El.

"I called you guys…" Neal started. "…I don't know what happened. I've just…I felt like somebody else had control of me. I would…I was watching myself doing things I wouldn't ordinarily do. El and Peter, and June, even, have told me a few things, but…. Nothing makes sense."

"Possession doesn't make sense, Neal." Sam replied as they all sat down in Neal's living room area.

"Possession?" Neal asked, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I know what you're going to say, Neal. But it does happen, a lot. We've done several since becoming hunters." Dean stated.

"Demon possession?" Neal shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around the concept. He had seen it in movies, read it in the bible. But it didn't happen in modern times, modern day New York.

"What do you remember?" Sam asked.

Neal shook his head again. He looked at El again. He remembered what he had done to her, both times. He had already apologized, and she had accepted. But he apologized again before he began. El nodded as he began his story.

"I remember the exhibit. I touched the artifacts, one in particular, nothing unusual about it or anything. But when I touched it…it, I felt like something sort of…went through me. That's the only way I can explain it. I started feeling a little weird. And I thought maybe the Italian we had eaten before going had caused it. But the next day…my stomach was fine. And there had been no problems during the night." Neal paused. "I remember I was…I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror shaving and I had…I cut myself. And I remember just standing there. I don't even know how long…just staring at the blood. It was…it was so strange. I tasted it, and I never do that. I did it once as a child and hated the metallic taste. It…I would normally just wipe the blood and put a little pressure on the spot. Then I would finish shaving." He paused. "I had nasty thoughts of hurting people, the agents in the office, random people on the street, anybody really. And I mean like violent, vicious things…stabbings shootings. I would look at different people, just walking down the street. And it would seem like, just for a second that their eyes would go black. That was when I felt like me, again. And it would freak me out; it scared me so much. I had a voice inside my head telling me that that was what was inside me. That that was what was making me act the way I was. But I…I didn't know what to do. I fought for control, but most of the time I…I just wasn't strong enough to keep it for any length of time. Not even long enough to give you guys a call."

"So, when El called us…?" Dean asked.

"That was Asmodai." Neal replied. "He refused to give you his name when you asked but I knew it. And that was part of the reason…." Neal put his hand to his chest. "We both knew the power you would have over him if you knew his name. It felt like his was burning, almost branding my skin when he cut me. He was determined to do all the damage he could before Sam forced him to leave. He had heard of you guys. He wanted to…meet you."

"You believe it now?" Sam asked.

Neal nodded. "I thought you guys were crazy before, doing what you do. But now, to go after those vicious bastards…you are a whole heaping barrel full of crazy."

Dean grinned. "It's so nice when our friends had such kind things to say about us." He said sarcastically.

Neal grinned back. "I love you guys, you know that. And I can't…I can't thank you enough for what you did for me."

Sam and Dean then looked at Peter and El. They had been very quiet through all this.

Dean saw Peter's indecision. "These things do happen. Demons do exist. They possess people, for all kinds of reasons."

"Why Neal?" Peter asked. "Why him?"

"He knows us." Sam replied. "Exorcised demons talk, I guess."

"Neal's going to be okay?" El asked.

Dean nodded. "He will be."

Neal didn't like that way Dean said that.

"We need to borrow your C.I. for about an hour." Sam stated, knowing what Dean wanted to do."

"Don't worry, Peter. It's nothing illegal, more of a…fashion statement." Dean replied.

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Neal understood why the tat was needed. Sam and Dean had explained all that. But he had not wanted one as big as theirs. He opted to have a smaller version of Sam's and Dean's put on his left bicep. He didn't want anything that would be too visible on the front of his body. And that tat would be easily covered with a shirt sleeve.

Neal had been rubbing his arm all morning. Not because it was really bothering him, it had hurt a little and itched, a lot, at first. But that was all gone. Now it was just like he had been branded. His chest had even stopped hurting and he was glad to be back at work, even if it was just desk duty for a few days.

Peter had had to be pretty inventive to come up with the reason for Neal's strange injuries. He had told people that Neal had been mugged and that the guy was going nuts, slashing at Neal with a knife. Everybody seemed to believe him. So it was really strange to Diana and Jones that Neal would be rubbing his arm.

"…didn't mention your arm." Diana was saying standing in front of Neal's desk.

"What?" Neal asked, finally looking up at her.

"I said, Peter didn't mention your arm being injured. And I didn't see it in the report." Diana stated.

Neal stopped rubbing his arm. "It wasn't."

Neal sighed. He wasn't ashamed of it or anything. "I got a tattoo."

Diana just looked at him unbelieving. "You? A tat?" She grinned very amused. "You're…you're not the type."

"I didn't get it as a fashion statement." Neal said, not wanting everybody to hear.

Jones, who had been listening, got up from his desk. "Let me see it. Where is it?" Then he stepped back, realizing where it could be. "Look, if it's on your ass…." He put his hands up and stepped back again.

"Where is it?" Diana asked, determined to get an answer.

"…left bicep." Neal replied.

Diana and Jones just stood looking at him, expectantly.

"I can't show you here." Neal said, looking around at the very busy office.

"…conference room!" Diana and Jones said. They looked at one another.

Neal led the two agents upstairs. Jones closed the door after they had all entered. Neal then took off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt enough to pull it down on his arm and pull the sleeve of his t-shirt up.

Jones didn't seem too impressed. He had no idea what the symbols or the shape meant.

Diana looked closely at the tattoo. She seemed to understand what she was looking it. "Sam and Dean have anything to do with this?" She asked. She knew that they had been in town, very recently. "What do you need protection from?"

Neal looked at her and sighed. "It's a very long story. And I'm not sure you would believe me if I told you."

The End

More Adventures with Sam, Dean, and Neal to come!


End file.
